The Shadow of Death - Gathering of Shadows
Prologue The scene began in the most remote region of physical space known, the very edge of what was known as Nether Space - from this section of space a lone figure dressed in purple stood staring into the infinite horror that was The Nothing, a writhing mass of darkness where ancient behemoths danced to silent tunes and the universe as most knew it ceased to be. The figure observed in silence as the dark beasts of The Nothing continued to move, noticing something different from the many other times he had come to look over the cosmic scene. "The Nothing grows restless, brother - the Great Destroyer is beginning to awaken.. for so long we have fought to keep the Sacred Laws strong yet this day was inevitable.. the current Multiverse is corrupt, I fear it may already be too late.." a voice speaks out, a woman with the head of a dog manifesting nearby, dressed in the manner of a Greek deity. "You have lost hope so soon? so disappointing, yet I do not blame you - The Omega is indeed close to wakening.. all it would take now is one concentrated effort to shatter the few Hidden Truths of this Multiverse and the Alpha's illusion would finally shatter.." the purple figure replied. "No, I will never lose hope - you are still my brother, Oblivion, you are loyal to The Omega yet I know you are not prepared to end your own existence so quickly.. you are the Lord of Destruction, yet even you would be washed away before the might of the Wrath of God.." the dog-headed woman said in turn. "The Omega is the one truth in anotherwise cruel dream, Creation - my existence here is as fixed as your own.. when The Omega comes it shall show the futility of Alpha's laws and remind this Multiverse that only Divine Sacrifice can truly prevail.." Oblivion stated. "The Divine Sacrifice is always too great, the laws were created to prevent the countless deaths that wrath demands.. you claim to be as fixed as I am, then you must know that we could both be washed away as easily as twigs in a flash-flood should The Omega decide we are the necessary sacrifices.." Creation warned. "Don't preach the power of The Omega to me, sister, I am the Lord of Destruction - I reject the weak and senseless laws of the Alpha and see the truth in the Divine Sacrifice.. if it seeks us out, then so be it.." Oblivion declared. "Very well, brother - you once again throw away reason in favor of blind hate - I didn't lie when I said my hope was not lost.. I shall find a way to strengthen the Sacred Laws again and with the aid of all who see value in life I shall reject your evil.." Creation said, fading into space iself. "That was uncalled for.." a dark voice states, causing Oblivion to turn for a moment, a gigantic figure appearing in the fabric of space/time - resembling a female satyr with wings "..to call one such as you Evil..". "What do you want here, Mother of All Suffering?" Oblivion asked, looking to the figure. "Please, call me Evil.. I'm simply an old grandmother listening to her grandchildren bicker.. you should know that by now.." the figure smirked. "Don't waste my time! answer my question!" Oblivion snapped. "That temper of yours will be your downfall, mark my words.. though for now I bring you good news.. I have a special friend who seeks to awaken The Omega and you seem just as eager, so let's get the party rolling, shall we?" the figure grinned. "First, what makes you so certain I would side with you and second, who is this "friend" you speak of?" Oblivion frowned. "Hm, I'll answer that in reverse.. the one I speak of is Seya, I shall take you to him soon.. as for why you would side with me.." the figure began, disappearing from view as a vortex burst open in front of Oblivion and for the first time in centuries his eyes grew wide as a robed figure in red walked out of the vortex and declared with glowing yellow eyes, holding a twisted chalice of blood red wine: "..you can't deny the request of your own consort, can you?" Arc I - Deadly Alliance It was silent. There was nothing, save for two figures, and a throne. Upon the throne sat a rather large cloaked being, grey being the only color upon the cloak. Black emptiness was within he folds, it seemed as if the body of the being merely did not exist, and that its soul had decided to use the cloak as a way to 'continue', save for two skeletal hands, which came out of the cloak's arms. The smaller, light blue cloaked creature was a strange one indeed. It quivered in fear before the one upon the throne, but also seemed quite humbled by being near it. The creature upon the throne tapped bony appendages upon the bejeweled throne, strumming them as the smaller cloaked figure spoke. "She was too powerful, she even beat me, this Karma girl. I stood no chance, though for a while I kicked her friends cans many times, they always got out one way or another." The grey 'King' spoke, "I did not ask to hear of failures, Illusion. I asked to hear of the annihilation of a little child. Yet... She lives!!" "One more thing. Anu-Oie failed in holding them prisoner, that ended in Bad Luck's failure. Sorry, Seya." Illusion sighed, knowing Seya was to blow at any moment now. "Oh! How joyous! We're all happy here that the witch got away now!!" Seya slammed his skeletal hand upon his bejeweled throne, putting cracks down some of the diamonds. "I've grown tired of these failures. Temeres even fell! And You! You said he wouldn't!" Seya pointed dramatically. Illusion rolled his eyes. "Originally, I had planned for all this to go smoothly, but now I'm putting myself into the equation, I'm no longer sitting down." Jokingly, Seya stood from his throne. "Seya, what now? We've run out of ideas?" Illusion questioned. "No. No we have not. You see, most are still unaware of my presence. Though there are exceptions, as always. But allow me explain, we've got one last idea that is a sure fire!!" Seya stated, pausing for some dramatic effect, outstretching his arms. Silence reigned supreme. Illusion stared at Seya, waiting for the next words to come, after a few minutes, he spoke up, "What is the idea?" "What idea?" Seya questioned, "Oh! The idea. The idea to end all ideas. Literally. Yes! Here it is." A piece of paper appeared in hand, of what seemed to be a black scribble on the white background. "What is it?" Illusion questioned Seya's artistic ability, but nevertheless, allowed Seya to continue. Pointing to his horrid depiction, Seya stated, "It is the Omega. The Great Shadow. The Ender of All. The Existence Eraser. The Pencil to the Lead. The-" Illusion had to literally tune out Seya, who at times became quite spontaneous, though he never knew why. Seya was a strange one, and tended to act completely opposite or exactly alike something nearby. He could only assume Seya was acting off the nothingness about, as he seemed excited, yet angered at the same time. Sometimes, it was a wonder that the crazed god could come up with organized plots that dealt with massive destruction and total obliteration of all life. That someone who frolicked in fields of candy and other assorted 'goodies' tended to perform psychotic bouts of toying with others lives so easily just for the 'crazy fun' as he once put it. "-sion. ILLUSION!! Listen!! We must begin as soon as possible. And I shall..." Seya went silent, as if sensing another presence. "Do you... Taste it?" Seya questioned. "..." Illusion had no response to give. "The tears of men do tend to leave a salty taste in the mind.." a voice echoes, a black portal forming as a red cloaked figure emerged alongside a slightly taller figure in purple: the figure in red has glowing yellow eyes while the purple figure seems in many ways a walking skeleton merged with strange machinery. "Ah! Look! They came from.. From a- A thing!" Seya blathered, but seemed to change immediately, "To what do I owe the honor of guests in my quaint home?" Seya questioned, bowing to the newcomers as if he were either respecting their presence, or merely mocking it. "I brought my other half along for the ride, she's been very helpful.. oh.. I also brought her consort too: he has largely been of use to me.. a servant of the Omega, no less.." the voice echoes, the red cloaked figure shedding a large spectral form that resembles a cloven demon, with obvious feminine traits.. as the figure manifests the cloaked figure seems to weaken slightly, Oblivion steadying her. "How long did you intend on hiding this from me, Misery?" Oblivion whispered, looking into those yellow eyes. "You may blame me, yet if I had not hidden what I was.. you would of had me banished.." Misery replied in a whisper. "No.. I could never banish you.. even now.." ''Oblivion began, still a whisper. '"Children, please.. you are being disrepectful to Master Seya.. I would of thought you of all beings would be eager to converse on matters to do with the Great Destroyer, Oblivion.." the spectral image of Evil commented. "Illusion!! Did you hear that?!" Seya questioned childishly, "The Great Destroyer! They speak of the Omega!" Illusion stared at Seya, then at the newcomers, "Excuse him, he's hasn't been right in the hea-" "I'm sorry. Illusion here seems to think he calls the shots while little old me, is supposed to sit in my rocking chair as time goes by. On and on and on." Seya slowly floated over, "Before we speak of the Omega, the All-Mighty Smiter, I believe names are in order." Seya coughed, seemingly all business-esque. "I am Seya, the All-Seeing, behind me is something I am sure you know of... A Secret." "Yes... Yes... I'm Illusion..." Little fireworks float up from behind Seya and Illusion, blowing up behind them, Seya once more claps happily like a child, "Be sure to state your names, I may know of you!" His voice sing-songy dying down, before extending his skeletal hand, allowing the new arrivals to speak. '''"How nice.." Evil commented, transforming into a winged serpent and losing her spectral appearance as she became more "flesh and blood", scales as black as night and eyes glowing like the fires of Hell itself, her wings were akin to rotten bones and spread outwards as a stinking aura surrounded her. "Why do you want us here?" Oblivion finally asked, addressing Evil. "Seya seeks to awaken The Omega - to do so he requires a little.. help.. the Sacred Laws have been weakened but to destroy them will take a concentrated effort - we have to use the Hidden Truths, yet beings like us are unable to do so.. we require.. assistance.. from those below us.." Evil replies, though speaking to Oblivion she keeps her gaze upon Seya. "Look Illusion!! I'm famous!!" Seya giggled to himself, his giggles slowly became darker, deeper chuckles, "So... My unannounced, rude guests. Evil, Misery, Oblivion. You seek to awaken the Omega as well... As uneducated as I am about the Sacred Laws, those tidbits were indeed nice." "Seya, are you sure you-" Illusion spoke up, only to be interrupted. "SILENCE!!" Seya commanded, "You have yet to do me some damage, which means you are here for something more... An alliance, I presume. I'm willing to listen, but be quite aware, there is more than meets the eye to one such as myself." Almost as if to prove a point, golden eyes form from the folds of Seya's cloak, and stare at the three before fading away. "Seya, what if-" "Allow our guests to speak. They have come far, and must be treated kindly... I don't desire an enemy, but an ally is much better." Seya chuckled, "You may speak as to what you wish." Seya gestured for them to speak once more. "You speak to the Abstracts, Seya - there is *always* more than meets the eye - the Hidden Truths are four ancient artefacts created to strengthen the Sacred Laws should Alpha's hold on the multiverse weaken.. so it is really quite simple, isn't it? we must gather four groups of champions to use those Hidden Truths and shatter what is left of the Sacred Laws.." 'Evil notes. "I assume this is the reason you brought me here then? you seek to use the Dark Ones as generals in this plan of yours.." Oblivion frowns, looking to Misery "..indeed, you've both been planning this for some time haven't you?". Misery doesn't speak, simply floating in place - her gaze somewhat lowered, as if she didn't wish to gaze into Oblivion's face. '"Only four of your Dark Ones are required Oblivion.. Master Seya will provide aid as well, I'm sure.. generals of his own - we spread to four corners and gather those most suited for each Truth.." Evil comments. "Oh! Yes! Indeed, I do! I have quite a few assistants. Very good ones." Seya clapped like a child at a party, turning away from the guests, "Though some are dead..." Seya trailed off, "Where are they..." Seya tapped his head, as if thinking, before he turned to the Absolutes, "Well hi! My name is Seya and wel-" "You already said that." Illusion noted, Seya seemed to be confused, and Illusion then continued, "You were going to tell them about your assistants?" "Oh yeah! Thank you." Seya giggled, "So we've got to shatter these laws with dear truths? I've got enough to help us. So allies I have now is it?" Seya questioned, waiting for a response. "I am not your ally Seya - however if this is what it takes to show the flaws of the Alpha's so-called Laws then I shall aid you.. as will the Dark Ones.." Oblivion declared, eyes glowing brightly as Misery floated silently nearby. "Your aid is enough, Oblivion - I'm sure Seya will be pleased.. allies or not, we all share a common goal: to be rid of this flawed Multiverse and its false heroes.. Great Seya, I suggest you and I stay here and discuss matters further.. the Dark Ones can lead four groups in the directions of the artefacts we seek - of course you will have a general at their side, we must remember that this is a shared effort.. each group should be tailor made to ensure maximum efficiency, depending on the task at hand.." Evil states. "Oblivion, is it? You made my cookies crumble." Tears fall from Seya's shadowed face, "Oh! The pain! My heart!" Seya clutches at his cloaked body, but seems to compose himself once more abruptly, seemingly taking on a deadly serious persona, "Very well. We shall discuss this matter that we find to be in the same sense. The same boat. Taking two to tango. Looking before we both leap. Making sure we break both our legs. The same side of the-" "I think we get the point..." Illusion butted in, rolling his eyes. "I certainly have a few chosen beings to assist. Oh yes, especially one that you might find to be perfect for this little job of ours." Seya placed his skeletal hands together, a coffin formed from darkness, a large, red sphere embedded into the plank that held the coffin closed. "I'm sure the deceased would also be willing to assist us, some as the generals you have previously stated. Although, they'll be just a slight bit... Different." Seya rubbed the top of the coffin, a giggle emanating from within. Misery's eyes narrow and she gives Seya a strange look, Oblivion takes her by the shoulder and turns - forming a dark portal :"..I shall gather the Dark Ones in the proper locations - betray us and you will suffer a thousand tortures, Old One.." Oblivion warns as he and Misery exit the scene. Evil simply chuckled and shook her head, seeming to grow in size as she approached Seya - darkness gathering around her in the process "..children will be children.. now.. let us see what you have planned, my friend.." Seya continued to giggle, "I think you might like this..." The front of the coffin fell before Evil, revealing Corvus, son of Zied. "No doubt you know who this is. This is Corvus, demon child of my own, Zied. My dear grandchild. But he has long been dead, at least when he awakens, he'll be ours to use however we please. I have plenty more of these deceased individuals, who can assist us, against their will. It's somewhat of psychological warfare against our own, soon to be enemies. Oh think of how those facing their own loved ones will... Hesitate to fight." Seya patted the wooden coffin, before putting his hands together once more. More coffins appeared throughout Seya's Realm, "I have many at my disposal." Seya noted. (note:continued in (Acolytes) ') Arc II - The Gathering of Shadows In order to maximize the destruction of the Alpha's Sacred Laws four groups of specific villains were to be formed, under the guidance of a Dark One and a general of Seya - Evil had provided her ally with a reasoning for each group and soon the terrible gathering of shadows began.. Part A - The Gathering of Rogues ''"our first target will be a device that can both unite and separate worlds by manipulating language itself, thus we must gather those who have a talent for using their words to gain power or do harm.. these rogues will do well to corrupt this Hidden Truth" ~ Evil The Gathering of Rogues began atop a great tower in the midst of a long-dead city, one of several such cities still present on Earth following innumerable assaults by alien invaders and worse - floating in place was the Dark One known as Rot, observing those gathered nearby. A small, tiny spider crawled across the tower, skittering up to Rot. It's eight eyes trained upon the Dark One, flashing slightly with intrigue. It slowly grew, and began to mold itself into a new form; it did not take long for it to become a man with pale white skin, who had long black hair, and wore a lavender kimono. Purple eyes glinting with knowledge, but with also feigned ignorance. "Keh heh... So, Seya has finally found a way to send his plan into motion..." It was simple, but that was what all he said. "Seya is of no concern to me, I am here because Oblivion has ordered me - now, let us be done with this so I may focus on more important things.." Rot replied, turning to look at the gathered figures. "Very well then... An intoduction of myself. My dear, sweet, insignificant self. My name... Is Kaede." Kaede licked his lips in a creepy fashion, "Who else here is as insignificant as myself?" Kaede's question went unanswered by those present. One of which, a man donning a labcoat, folded his arms. His skin was covered with what appeared to be glowing circuitry, and his form seemed to flicker for a moment, like a hologram. "Is there any point to this gathering, or have you called us here to simply waste our time?" he asked. A portal opens and a tall figure emerges, silver eyes looking over the area without emotion - the figure steps out of the portal and declares simply "..time is a useless concept to those who have true power - for in the end we have eternity by which to ensure our victory..". "Impractical," said a third being, whose image glowed like a spectre, white and pale as death. "If you had true power, you would already rule this Multiverse, not wait an eternity for your enemies to grow and accumulate further strength. I share sparky's opinion here. This is a waste of time." "I am Malovus," said the holographic figure. "Do not presume to put that nickname to me again." "Almagest," said the pale figure. "Ah... Almagest... I was wondering when you'd pay me a visit. But at such a strange time." Kaede noted, licking his lips, "And I must say, your presence here will make this little party much more... Exquisite..." "Duly noted," said Almagest coldly. "So please, tell me why I've been dragged here." "Seya has decided to finally move his plan forward..." Kaede merely mentioned, "He has... Some assistance..." At those final words, time and space was distorted nearby in a swirl of clear energy. Soon enough, a cloaked man wearing a mask that had big question mark on it appeared. He looked around, taking note of the beings about, before simply walking over to Almagest and quietly waiting for others to arrive. "Ha...so that's how it is, then," said Almagest. "In that case, I'm afraid you're going to have to count me out." "All of you - be silent.. it is time to inform you of what is expected from you and what I can and can not do by orders of Oblivion.." Rot suddenly says, growing larger as she floats forward to address the entire group. "Men rot and die with age, gods do not.. which is why I have no need to rush - those who hurry are those who fear.." Adam Man replies, turning to observe Rot. "Sorry, children," interrupted Almagest, "but I was never one for playing nice with others." In a burst of white flame, he disappeared. "Keh heh..." Kaede chuckled, licking his lips in an odd fashion, as a spider exited his mouth, and crawling to his shoulder, "Almagest is the same. Coming and going." The masked man was seemingly the only one who had listened to Rot, as he had been silent from the very second he arrived. "A pawn calling me a child - I would find this amusing had I not abandoned the concept in favor of more reasoned thinking.." Adam states, continuing to look to Rot "..speak, "goddess".." "Pay Almagest no further attention and BE SILENT" Rot snaps, showing a temper rivalling her infamous "mother", the Absolute known as Misery. "You are all here to fulfil a task set forth by Seya and Evil, yet make no mistake my loyalty is only with Oblivion - for as long as he abides by their rules so will I.. now here is what you must do: there is a device known only as the Babel Port, hidden deep within what we have come to know as the Tower of Adam.. situated in deep space.. we are to find that device and use it, granting all of you power to create and destroy language itself.." Rot continues, calming a little. "Sounds interesting..." Kaede licked his lips, saliva dripping down his face in rivulets. "Hm, the Tower of Adam you say? how interesting.. seems someone has been using my name in vain.. no matter, you may have this Port.. I believe I shall have more use for this tower you speak of : it is only fair, for I am Adam Man.. and a god must have his rightful place amongst the stars.." Adam Man notes. "Have the tower if you wish, all that matters is that the Babel Port is not allowed to fall into the hands of our enemies.. we've wasted enough time as it is, it's time to let our actions speak for themselves.." Rot replies, forming a portal made out of bone and rubble - showing a vast expanse of mostly empty space. "..enter the portal and don't be afraid, I have authority to empower you just enough that space will not kill you outright.. once we've all crossed the portal we can begin our hunt in earnest..". ('''this section continues in Shadow of Death - Tower of Adam) Part B - The Gathering of Madness "our second target is troubling, capable of wiping out all traces of external corruption on a world once triggered - needless to say we must destroy such a device quickly.. thus we must gather those devoted to violence and chaos, the mad make poor allies but they do make excellent tools of war.." ~ Evil The Gathering of Madness began in the barren wastes of what was once a raging battlefield, skeletal corpses littered the ground as a reminder of the horrors of war - floating in place was the Dark One known as Enmity, staring at those gathered with contempt. A small, tiny grey cloaked man stood nearby Enmity, orange eyes explaining everything, yet nothing that worked within the mind of this small figure. He held a tiny stick and seemed to be almost a child, had it not been for his somewhat deep voice, "Oh! WHY?! I failed my god. That kid did defeat me, I died! But here I am, next to-" He looked to Enmity, "-I am unsure." Enmity spat on the ground and frowned "..why am I stuck with you anyway? whatever.." - he turns his attention to those gathered and snapped "..this loser and I are here to make sure you guys don't screw up - so, let's start with names, shall we?". "Oh no!! Names?! We need to have names?! Why NAMES?! Why can't we just scream?! Oh Zied!! WHY?!" The 'loser' exclaimed, dropping to his knees in dramatic fashion. A bearded man dressed in a plain white shirt and jeans stood holding a book to his chest and observing everything in utter silence. A short, bucktooth and misshapen figure with red hair and freckles stands not too far from the others sporting a kitchen knife, dressed in a white shirt and brown pants with an old-fashioned leather belt and a tie along with a pair of slip-on black shoes. Enmity slaps his forehead and gives an audible growl, "..alright.. how about you just stand there in total silence and defy a direct order from an Absolute? yeah.. sure.. go right ahead..". "what's an Absolute? sounds tasty.." the bucktooth figure asks with a disturbing grin, tracing his fingers across the blade of his knife. "Zied!! WHY?!" The loser screamed, but quieted down suddenly, "I... Am Lord Stypion. Many call me, the Mage." He simply stated, as if his earlier phrases didn't even occur. A dark presence suddenly enters the area and a small voice echoes "..Poppy sorry he's late.. Poppy not often go outside but Poppy wants to play too.." - a small furry figure emerges from the shadows, eyes sparkling like a feline in the dark: a small nosepad wiggling as large bat-like ears flicked from side to side on an oversized head attached to a small body with vaguely humanoid feet and hands, most disturbing was the creature's mouth, spread impossibly wide over its face. At last the bearded man affords a small smile as he glances over at the shadowy figure - "I believe our game is just about to begin my little friend" - he turns to Stypion - "tell us, Mage.. are you subservient to this psychopath?" he motions to Enmity. "Enmity?" The Mage questioned, "Oh no, no, no... No. As a resurrected individual, I was summond by Seya as a pawn. Not much of minding, as I cannot die a second time. He has made me quite immortal." The bucktooth figure grins some more and chuckles, continually playing with his knife "..immortals are fun.. they don't break as easy as the other toys..". From the ground rose a plume of flame. A pair of skeletal wings spread and a demon with flaming eyes emerged. "Don't leave me out of the fun," he said, grinning with sharpened, rotting teeth. "I rarely get the chance to play with immortals..." "Oh great, now you guys get all chatty - you're just doing this to annoy me aren't you? let's all provoke Enmity - he's a cool guy.. he won't mind.. right? that's what you guys think?" Enmity snaps, getting more angry as he begins to doubt even further why he bothered turning up. "Poppy not here to fight Enmity.. Poppy friend - we all different but we all want to play.. so we not so different.. tell us about the game.." the small furred creature states, looking around as it sniffs at the air. Enmity frowns but finally gathers his strength and notes "..forget about the names.. we have a job to do, set forth by Seya and Evil - Oblivion is working with them so I suppose that means I'm also part of this.. so we're not going to screw up.. got it? Our task is to destroy a device known as the Sin Bullet.. sounds fun, right? What's more fun is this thing is in the Tower of Eve, situated somewhere on the surface of a free-roaming Black Moon..". "Oh ZIED!! The horror!! The horror!!" The Mage screamed, falling to his knees, "The pure, unadulterated horror!!" The bearded man goes silent again, ignoring the Mage's outburst as he looks to his book and then back at the others "..destruction? I believe this shall be a rather simple task.. I would offer to open a portal personally to this Black Moon but I am afraid my mode of travel is somewhat.. hazardous.. to other life-forms.. perhaps, for now, I should exhibit some degree of restraint. I would hate to destroy everything before the so-called "heroes" arrived to try and stop us..". "..don't care about the Bullet but if their are heroes to gut.. I'll come, heroes taste good.." the bucktooth man grins. Enmity turned his back on the group and stomped down on a section of ground, causing a pillar of jagged rock to emerge, the pillar soon shattered and formed a portal of swirling debris - showing a dark expanse of space on the other side: "..allow me to provide the Enmity Express - you go through that portal and cause havoc, I'll be keeping in touch but remember we Absolutes can't fight your battles.. once you go out there you will be in charge of your own actions, so don't screw up..". (this section continues in Shadow of Death - Tower of Eve) Part C - The Gathering of Fools "our third target is a device capable of repopulating extinct worlds once activated, although such a device may seem dangerous I see potential in the hands of fools.. men and women who see themselves as doing good, blinded to their own corruption.. I think you will find them most amusing, Great Seya.." ~ Evil The Gathering of Fools began under the cover of darkness at a large cemetery, observed carefully by the Dark One known as Phobia. Forming from nothingness, three eyeballs came into existence, and soon a tornado of countless colors somewhat obscured the eyes that had formed. The eyes looked about sporadically, as if not under their own control. It floated about aimlessly, yet still seemed to contain itself in the cemetary all the same. It seemed to 'research' the things it recently came across, before it turned its three-eyed gaze upon Phobia. Phobia stared by at the alien being then nods, turning to those gathered and stating: "..it would seem we are all being observed, so let us be mindful not to do anything rash..". The three-eyed tornado floated nearby, it seemed unable to speak, as it just stared at the rest of the gathered beings. One of these, a woman donning white robes gilded with gold, stood apart from the others. She was slender and dainty, and held an ornate staff in her gentle fingers. Her hair was a soothing gold, and her expression was soft. Her gray eyes stared out at the gathering with an inscrutable expression. In appearance, she was a white rose standing amidst weeds. In stark contrast to the woman in white robes was a man dressed in dark robes not unlike a medieval monk, his right-hand replaced by a golden glove and his left-eye glowing brightly: a dark aura surrounding him at all times as he observed those around him with unquestioned hate. Phobia finally broke the silence and comments "..all of you capable of speech are reminded this is a group exercise.. do try and at least give "teacher" here a name by which to remember you.." - he motions at the strange tornado. "I am a servant of God, beast - I have no love for any of you.. yet I must work with you for now to ensure the victory of the human race against the alien, the mutant and the false god.. as for names.. you can address me as Oath.." the dark figure said. The swirling tornado being shot a laser from one of its eyes to the ground, writing out 'Vizi-Zenot', before it decided to seemingly take in each appearance of every other being. As if studying them to the core, and deciding if they were threats to itself. Oath observes this in silence, an eternal frown on his face - he didn't even try to hide his absolute contempt for every living being in the area. "I am Lucia," said the graceful woman. Her voice was melodious, pleasing to the ear and flowing like a gentle river. "The Multiverse is a corrupt, dangerous place - we all know that much.. which is why we work together for a better world.. I have good news, a chance for us to create a world that is cleansed of darkness and fools.." Phobia notes. "I don't like the sound of that... the only darkness in this world are governments and so-called heroes who mercilessly oppress the "criminal" - an excuse to lock away those society deems "corrupt".." a young man notes as he enters the area, having chalk white skin and a revealing suit that seems almost organic, torn and wild - being dark blue in color, his shoulder-length hair is pure silver and his eyes are a striking shade of pink. "Your views are all different yet you all share one thing in common - a desire to change this multiverse.. for the better.. what you need is the Eden Bomb, a device that can turn a barren world into a paradise.. working together we can obtain this device and reshape the multiverse but first we have to locate the Throne of Kings, the last known location of that monument was aboard a space-station caught in a localised maelstrom of psychic energy from the Realm of Madness.." Phobia remarks. Vizi-Zenot didn't move, only continued to observe the gathering. "I care not for your so-called "paradise" - if we are to work together we best make it as short as possible.. take us to where we need to go so we can be done with this charade.." Oath states. Phobia thinks for a moment then turns, forming a portal that resembles a massive coffin - which opens up to reveal a section of space that seems to be filled with floating debris that seems to be mashed together by an unseen force, the space/time in the area different from normal space and having a slight red-tint: "..let us be on our way then, this portal shall take you to the edge of the anomaly - you will be briefed further once you arrive, do not worry about the harsh realities of space either.. by passing through the portal you will be granted a small portion of my energy, allowing you to survive unharmed.." (this is continued in Shadow of Death - Throne of Kings) Part D - The Gathering of Greed "the last of the Hidden Truths is a device that allows unlimited energy utilizing any resource imaginable, to corrupt such a device is simple.. let us find those guided by greed and give them their just reward.." ~ Evil The Gathering of Greed began inside a great temple, long abandoned in the midst of a vast jungle - sitting atop an ancient throne was the Dark One known as Blight, his putrid form swollen from regular feedings as he chomped down on a rotten chicken leg and watched those gathered, drooling like a wild animal. A spectral being with a strange mask flew into the room, eyes were yellow and a long hooked nose completed the rather tribal looking mask. It appeared rather pathetic and weak, as if it had no strength to fight others back with, save for the sharp teeth on the mask. It merely floated there, staring at the Absolute who ate the rotten chicken leg. Blight belched and grinned widely, showing rotten teeth as he pointed towards the gathered group and spoke out: "..well, let's see who we have here shall we? your call, big nose.." "I'll have you know, I was quite powerful back on Thyria. My master, Misery, made me immortal, and though I am weak now, I'll find a way to get a new body." The ghost explained, seemingly not even caring of the 'big nose' comment. A youth with a shaven head dressed in a red stealth-suit with images of a skull on both the shoulders and chest snorts as he looks at the others - clearly not impressed. A blonde woman in a business dress stands to one side on a phone, "don't worry - this is definitely going to be good for business.. tell Salesman to get as many deals as he can, nothing like an apocalypse to encourae panic buying.. yes.. I'll be fine.. exploiting is what I am employed for..". A figure resembling a fairly tall humanoid male with no visible features stands next to the others, his body seeming to be made out of space itself - complete with stars that shone within his alien physiology: "Misery? sounds like your master needs to think on their PR - sure, we're all "evil" but never hurts to try and keep the "good" guys sweet.. make a few deals for the "great good" and all that.. I know, your master could call themselves Fluffy.. a more neutral name.. no?". Blight snorts and chuckles at Mr. Odd's comment, glancing to observe the witch's response - "..I like you, not afraid to stir a hornets nest.. you'll need that for what we have planned..". "I'll have you know Her very name shakes the foundations of the lives of many." The mask on the witch seemed to make facial expressions, but every time she spoke, her mouth never moved. "In the end, you'll see... My Master... Is perfect..." Kerava turned from the 'non-believer' as she already dubbed within her head, looking to others gathering. "Someone has a crush.." the shaven head man notes quietly, still not seeming to be very impressed with his team-mates but at least finding Kerava's outburst somewhat amusing. The witch seemingly more angered, had a great state of ebullition, and at this powerful change of emotion, the room of the temple changed to that of rainbow colors. The eyes on the mask gained countless rings surrounding the irides,'' "NONE OF YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO BACK YOURSELVES UP! SO SILENCE!!"'' The witch's masked mouth turned upside down, displaying a frown and a row of sharp teeth. Most amusing indeed, "I'll be sure that Misery will make you suffer for eternity. Your entire beings will be bound in chains of emotional pain for eons..." The witch calmed, her ringed eyes returning to normal, the mask once more in a normal state, the room turned back into the temple. "Alright - you guys stop messing with the witch.. Misery isn't something you want to mess with anyway.. how about we focus on the real reason we're here?" Blight says, finally seeming to gain some resemblance of professionalism as he sits up straight, the throne struggling to fit his massive form as he motions the group forward. A man in a suit and cloak stepped out, his ember eyes analyzing the figures around him, before saying, "So, what sort of force desires our assistance?" "A force of limited time - we have all the recruits we need and Oblivion is getting restless, I can already sense it.. the time has come to act.. we are gathered to hunt down the Hades Engine, a device that can create unlimited energy.. figure it'd be worth a heavy sum for whoever gets it.. all we have to do is head to the Tree of Life, which is situated somewhere near the edge of the Milky Way, problem is the area has a lot of law-enforcement around and colony worlds.. we'll have to take care of them rather quick if we want to get that Engine before the Gentle Ones send their champions over to steal it for the "greater good".." Blight states. "Hee-Hee, it seems like a little something I could use myself to gain a new body." Kerava notes to the side, "No matter, we can easily get around this group of colony worlds, we're more than powerful enough." "Actually we'd be much better using the device as part of an auction - imagine how much someone would pay for something that can create unlimited power? I know a few Slynopian tycoons who'd sell their own grandchildren for that.. not to mention a few starving, fuel-deprived worlds desperate for resources" Mr. Odd notes. The blonde woman ignores the bickering as she continues to speak on her phone, only stopping briefly to listen to Blight - at which point she puts her phone down and states "..Corporation X is willing to aid in obtaining this Hades Engine - we have shares in roughly five hundred universes, granted a few of said universes are somewhat unstable.. all we ask in return is the Engine is given to our R&D department so they may at least reverse-engineer some of its properties before ensuring our allies recieve their fair share of the prize.." - she then glances to Kerava for a moment - "..if you wish, we can also grant you a new body via one of our clone or cybernetic departments.. for a small fee..". "..then let's be on our way, I've got places to ruin and people to make sick.. we get this done quick.." Blight declares, standing up and forming a disgusting pool of ooze that soon bubbles upwards, forming a portal of sickly green energy leading to what looks like an expanse of space. "..for all those who can't survive in space, don't worry - once you walk through the portal you'll be coated in a thin but virtually impregnable layer of cosmic slime, I even made sure it wouldn't infect you.. much.. it will make you able to navigate space much easier.. temporary, so use it well.." Blight adds. (This continues in Shadow of Death - Tree of Life) Category:Sagas Category:Queen-Misery Category:TheSecret1070 Category:Supernatural Category:War